My commentary on War Stories is posted at the KLCC site. It will air on Tuesday, April 8th, from http://www.klcc.org or on fm radio at 89.7 for those in the area (and other transmitters for those on the coast or in Southern Oregon). Check the site for public ration station numbers.

Thanks for writing it. I don't blame you for needing to go back to light comedy but you were right to write that.

LeslieWhat

Posted on Saturday, April 05, 2003 - 09:23 am:

Thanks, Maureen. It was an interesting experience to record this piece. I had to do an out-of-body thing and pretend someone else was reading it to maintain my composure. I couldn't think about it very much or it made me too upset. Nina Hoffman was helping with production (we go in to record our commentaries at the same time) and her support made it a lot easier.

Writing for radio is a very strange thing. I practice at home but invariably there are phrases I cannot manage when I'm in the studio, so there are always last minute changes. It turns out "Peace Treaties" is very difficult to voice. "Treaties" is a little easier. I also found I couldn't say that my relatives were gassed -- too emotional -- but saying they were murdered was something I could do.

When I left the studio, I told my news director, "That's why I write comedy."

I don't think I've ever written anything that meant as much to me personally. Is writing for radio at all like doing a reading?

LeslieWhat

Posted on Tuesday, April 08, 2003 - 08:30 am:

It's funny because your work reads as if it means a great deal on a very personal level.

Writing for radio is sort of like a reading. You can spell things phonetically and emphasize stuff in the text and use voices.

The biggest dif (for me) is knowing I can't rely on visual interest. Nobody will be looking to see if I have boogers up my nose or see my facial expression. So everything has to be in the voicing or the piece may lose the interest of a listener.

Well, my work does mean a great deal to me on a personal level--but I think there's a difference between fiction and one's murdered family.

I like giving readings, though. I like voice effects--not necessarily doing voices so much as the swoop and cadence of a reading.

Ellen

Posted on Wednesday, April 09, 2003 - 08:04 pm:

Leslie, I heard you last night :-)

LeslieWhat

Posted on Thursday, April 10, 2003 - 11:35 am:

Maureen, I've kept away from first person nonfiction narratives because I dislike being so obviously part of the story. I appreciate the flexibility of fiction. There's a lot of stuff I don't especially want to talk about but would hate to see lost.

Greg has said I should beware when writing Holocaust fiction and I think he's right. It's difficult to find the objectivity that I think makes for the most effective storytelling.

As for readings, I'm getting much better at them and I think the radio stuff has helped. Especially with timing. --- Ellen, I forgot it was radiothon at the station :0

But you heard Nina's and my radio editor and the newscaster who sometimes calls us "Double Trouble."

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